Travel Sites Evaluated - The University of Texas at Austin

Transcription

Travel Sites Evaluated
Isabella Castaño, Minwook Ok, Pei-Yu, Nikki Wen
Interface, Interaction and Information • The University of Texas at Austin • March 4, 2008
1
Table of Contents
Introduction
2
Evaluation
3
Sites visited
4
Evaluation Criteria
5
Evaluation results and discussion
7
www.Travelocity.com
7
www.lonelyplanet.com
12
www.orbitz.com
17
www.travel.com
25
www.expedia.com
33
www.priceline.com
38
www.travelpost.com
43
www.tripadvisor.com
47
Comparative evaluation
51
Recommendations to Rose
54
Credits
55
References
56
1
INTRODUCTION
Rose in search of her perfect vacation.
Scenario
Rose is a full-time graduate student living in Austin, Texas. The semester has been extremely busy and in
order for her to release her mind and body from the high-stress environment, she’s treating herself to a
break in the Caribbean for three days in the month of March. Her plans are to be in Cozumel, Mexico
from March 10th – 13th with a little bit of wiggle room since she does have to return for the rest of the
break to catch up before finals begin at the end of the semester. She is looking for the best deal on a hotel
and transportation. She is conducting her search on-line and hopes to find what she is looking for.
Cozumel
2
EVALUATION
Evaluation Procedure
In order to help Rose pick up a website for scheduling her vacation, we conduct a website evaluation with
the following procedure:
• Step 1: Analyzing Rose's needs and expectations for her travel.
• Step 2: Searching for appropriate criteria for website evaluation.
• Step 3: Evaluating websites separately by using our selected criteria.
• Step 4: Comparing websites and having a synthesized discussion.
• Step 5: Providing suggestions in Rose's case
Sites evaluated
The sites evaluated includes the following ones:
• http://www.travelocity.com/
• http://www.lonelyplanet.com/
• http://www.orbitz.com/
• http://www.travel.com/
• http://www.expedia.com/
• http://www.priceline.com/
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/
• http://www.travelpost.com/
3
SITES VISITED
4
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The following criteria was used to conduct the website evaluation:
Interface design: The purpose of evaluating the interface design
is to examine the websites' attractiveness and aesthetic. A generic
heuristics evaluation method is used in this section. The
following attributes were evaluated:
• Color
• Consistency and style (Visual layout should be consistent)
• Structured and consistent layout (Use 5:3 grids to
structure the content and portray a consistent order)
• Depth of field (Use of layers)
• Choice of media to attract attention
• Use of personality in media to attract and persuade (The use of human images or speech for
attracting users' attention)
• Design of unusual or challenging images to facilitate users understanding.
Information design: The purpose of evaluating the information design is to exam the websites'
organization and presentation of data (Shedroff et al, 1994). The following attributes were evaluated:
• Clarity of goal/messages organization
• Clarity of content organization
• Richness/Usefulness of information
Interaction design: The purpose of evaluating the interaction design is to exam the websites'
interactivity (Shedroff et al, 1994). The attributes evaluated include:
• Feedback and control: How much control the user has and how much feedback exists in the
interface.
5
• Creativity, communication & productivity: The level to which the user is allowed to create,
participate, make, do or share something themselves.
• Adaptability: The level in which the website is able to adapt its direction based on users' behavior.
6
EVALUATION RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
www.Travelocity.com
Travelocity is a provider of consumer-direct travel services for the leisure and business
traveler. It markets and distributes travel-related products and services directly to
individual through Travelocity and its various brand Web sites and contact centers.
Travelocity customers can access offerings, pricing information about airlines, hotels, car
rental companies, cruise lines, vacation and last-minute travel packages, and other travelrelated services. Travelocity is the leader in European online travel through its European
brand, lastminute.com.
Interface design
Advantages of Travelocity’s
interface design include the color
arrangement and layout structure.
Travelocity provides the users with
a very clear, simple and comfortable
interface where the colors used are
compatible and balanced. The main
disadvantage of Travelocity’s
interface is that it lets the
advertisements destroy the page
balance, as the figure to the left
shows.
Figure 1. The searching result page
of Travelocity
7
Below is Travelocity’s detailed interface evaluation:
Attributes
Color
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
The Travelocity uses blue as the background
4
color and the white/black as the font color.
Sometimes it uses more than three colors on
the searching result pages, but it always picks
up the color compatible with the page style,
making the website very clear and balanced.
Consistency and style (Visual
The visual layout of the front page is
layout should be consistent)
symmetrical. However, on the searching
3
result page, the advertising column makes
the website unsymmetrical.
Structured and consistent
The website use a lot of "5:3" rectangles for
layout (Use 5:3 grids to
structuring the content.
5
structure the content and
portray a consistent order)
Depth of field (Use of layers)
Layers are used on the main page and some
4
of the searching result page.
Choice of media to attract
The media used in the website consists of
attention
text and photos; video, audio and animation
2
are not included in the design of Travelocity.
Use of personality in media to
There's no use of human image or speech on
attract and persuade (The use of
Travelocity’s site to attract users.
1
human images or speech for
Design of unusual or
The images on the website are pretty
challenging images to facilitate
common.
1
users understanding.
8
Attributes
Average
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Travelocity is good in the color
arrangement and layout, but it
lacks a range in media and stimuli
in order to attract users' attention.
2.86
Information design
Travelocity’s advantages in information design include that the goals of each page are very clear, so that
users can easily locate the pages with the information needed, as well as, it provides rich and wellorganized information. It organized the searching results by using tables, allowing users to read and
compare. The only disadvantage of Travelocity is that it doesn't provide contextual information to better
fit in users' needs such as special travel needs for people with disabilities. Travelocity doesn't provide
necessary solutions.
Below is Travelocity’s detailed information evaluation:
Attributes
Clarity of goal/messages
organization
Comments
Travelocity includes pages of vacation
packages, flights, hotels, cars/rail/cruises and
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
activities, and the goal/message delivered of
each page is clear. Users can easily find their
Clarity of content organization
needs based on the title of the pages.
The content is organized by using tables,
4
making the whole page very clear and readable.
9
Attributes
Comments
Richness/Usefulness of
Travelocity includes very clear price
information
comparison for hotels, flights, and
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
transportation, as well as 10+ vacation packages
and last minutes packages, seldom provided by
other websites. Besides, a 5-point scale
customer review is also provided. Also, related
photos (e.g. the photos of the hotel) are
provided as supplementary information.
Average
The content on the website is rich
and well-organized, but more
contextual information could still be
provided.
4
Interaction design
Travelocity provides large amounts of control and feedback for users to fully handle the search engine.
The interaction between users and the websites seems good, however, it doesn't provide many
opportunities for interactions between users, such as chatting, discussion or sharing. Current provision
of 5-point-scale review of tours(hotels) might be an approach for users to interact with each other, but it's
still very weak and insufficient.
Below is Travelocity’s detailed interaction evaluation:
Attributes
Control
Comments
Users can fully control the search engine by
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
inputting the departure/destination/date/
number of people for the tours. Also, users
can search for flights, hotels and cars
separately or together as a package.
10
Attributes
Feedback
Comments
While using the search engine, Travelocity
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
provides appropriate feedback or reminding
if the user 's input information is insufficient
or wrong. For example, after input the wrong
destination "Caribbean," more than ten
airports appears for users to make further
decisions.
Amount of creativity,
Travelocity doesn't support online
communication and
communication such as discussion or
productivity
chatting. The only one good feature is that
1
users could leave their review on their tours
for future customers to reference.
The amount of adaptively
Travelocity has very weak adaptively. The
1
saving of users' profiles seems just to
support the transactions but not for the
adaptively purpose.
Average
Travelocity is good and the
design of control and feedback,
but the amount of of creativity,
communication, productivity, and
adaptively is comparatively few.
2.5
Summary
Basically Travelocity got pretty good score during our evaluation. Our evaluation results indicates that
Travelocity is strong in the information design, but comparatively weak on the interaction design. We
suggest that Travelocity could first revise the way they show the advertisement, and then create the userinteraction features such chatting, discussion and sharing. Adaptivity is also recommended to add in (e.g.
using users' personal profiles to predict their favorite tours) the website for offering users more
personalized and customized tours.
11
www.lonelyplanet.com
Lonelyplanet.com is a one-stop shop for all users' trip
planning needs. In just a few clicks, users can book flights,
accommodation, rail passes and travel insurance . They've
selected a number of travel companies (providers) ideally
suited to service the needs of independent travelers. All the
services users purchase through Lonely Planet Bookings & Services are provided by the travel companies
themselves and not by Lonely Planet. Current providers in Lonelyplanet.com include AirTreks, Ekit,
Hostelworld, Kayak, MyTripJournal World Expeditions, etc..
Interface design
In terms of the interface design, the disadvantages of Lonelyplanet.com is that the background color of all
content chunks are all white, which makes the page looks dull. Besides, many searching result list is too
long to read easily, as the following figure shows. And also the media used in the website is limited to
photos only, it is recommended to have more sources of media such as audio or animation to enhance the
Web site’s attraction.
The searching result list is too long to read
easily.
12
Below is Lonelyplanet’s detailed interface evaluation:
Attributes
Color
Comments
The whole background color is white, which
makes the page kind of dull. It is recommended
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
3
that the different content chunk need have
different background color for users to read
more easily.
The visual layout of the main page is
symmetrical. However, on the searching result
easily read.
The layout is not structured well and looks
3
page, it seems that the result list is too long to
distributed.
2
Layers are used rarely.
2
Basically the media used in the website are texts
2
attention
and photos; the video, audio and animation are
not included in the design of Lonelyplanet.
attract and persuade (The use of the Lonelyplanet to attract users.
1
The images on the website are pretty few.
1
The readability of Lonelyplanet is
comparably low, and there are few
media and stimulus for attracting
users' attention.
2
Average
13
Information design
In terms of the information design, the advantage of Lonelyplanet is that the provided information is rich
and useful; it provides information about travel gear, insurance and phone/wireless service, which are not
available very often in other website. The disadvantage of Lonelyplanet is that it doesn't chunked the
information very well.
Below is Lonelyplanet’s detailed information evaluation:
Attributes
organization
Comments
Lonelyplanet includes pages of vacation
packages, flights, hotels, cars/rail/cruises and
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
activities, and the goal/message delivered of
each page is clear.
The content is not chucked very clearly; the
3
readability is expected to be improved.
Comparing with Travelocity, Lonelyplanet
information
offers travelers more information such as travel
4
checklist, insurance, travel gear and phone/
wireless service. Also, related photos (e.g. the
photos of the hotel) are provided as
supplementary information. Customer review
data is not provided.
Average
The content on the website is rich
and well-organized, but contextual
information needs to be provided
more.
3.67
Interaction design
In terms of interaction design, Lonelyplanet provides large amounts of control and feedback for users to
fully handle the search engine. The interaction between users and the websites seems good, however, it
doesn't support much to the interactions between users, such as chatting, discussion or sharing. Current
provision of 5-point-scale review of tours(hotels) might be an approach for users to interact with each
other, but it's still very weak and insufficient.
14
Below is Lonelyplanet’s detailed interaction evaluation:
Attributes
Control
Comments
Some search pages are not easily to use. For
example, on the accommodation page, there is
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
2
only drop-down menus provided; it would be
easier for users if the text box is provided as
well.
Also, users can only search for flights, hotels
and cars separately, but not search them
together as a package. The flexibility is
Feedback
comparatively low.
While using the search engine, Lonelyplanet
2
the page shows “Unrecognized destination”
without providing any clues. It doesn't provides
appropriate feedback or reminding if the user 's
input information is insufficient or wrong. For
example, after input the wrong destination
"Caribbean," Lonelyplanet doesn't support online
communication and
communication such as discussion or chatting.
productivity
The only one good feature is that users could
1
leave their review on their tours for future
customers to reference.
Lonelyplanet has very weak adaptability. The
saving of users' profiles seems just to support
1
the transactions but not for the adaptability
purpose.
Average
Lonelyplanet's interactive functions
are all weak.
1.5
15
Summary
Lonelyplanet doesn't perform very well in our evaluation. Our evaluation results indicates that
Lonelyplanet is strong in the information design, but comparatively weak on the interface and interaction
design. We suggest that Lonelyplanet first revise the way they chunk the content, and then improve the
interaction design such as making the search function more flexible and providing clear and necessary
feedback/remind/clues during users' searching process. Adaptability is also recommended to add in
(e.g. using users' personal profiles to predict their favorite tours) the website for offering users more
personalized and customized tours.
16
www.orbitz.com
Orbitz is a leading online travel company offering leisure
and business travelers a wide selection of low airfares, as
well as deals on lodging, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and other travel. The site was created to
address consumers' need for a comprehensive display of fares and rates in a single location. In addition,
Orbitz search results are presented in an easy-to-use matrix that displays a vast array of travel options.
Interface design
In terms of interface design, Orbitz successfully uses bright colors and layers to draw audiences’
attention. The overall layout is organized, proper images express the theme, and the font size and style are
in harmony. The different level of emphasis meets various needs. However, the absence of multimedia and
personality in media still make it less attractive.
User account and
special service are
marked in orange color.
Search box: The
combination of grids,
drop-down menu and
radio buttons organizes
the input area very
well.
Images with rollover
effect can stimulate
users’ interests. Proper
image will enhance
emotion.
Interface design orbitz
17
Below is Orbitz’s detailed interface evaluation:
Attributes
Color
Comments
Orbitz uses blue and white as the theme color.
Beach photos create an image of relaxed and
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
5
comfortable traveling experience.
Orange color is used to mark special services.
When there is additional information, the green
color will be added to supplement the content.
The visual layout of homepage is close to
bilateral. The designer uses different size and
shadow effect to highlight the search column.
It uses grids to organize the information. Each
page has consistent layout.
4
5
The height to width ration of the homepage is
5:3.
The foreground components are clear by the
use of various layers.
5
Font color and styles help to create level of
emphasis. For example, the gray font represents
optional and subcategory information.
The homepage doesn’t contain any video or
attention
audio media, but on the subcategory TLC page,
service.
There is no use of human image or speech in
3
it includes a short video to promote its extra
attract and persuade (The use of media.
1
18
Attributes
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Unusual or challenging images are seldom
2
shown in Orbitz.com site.
Average
Orbitz has a consistent layout and
the depth of information is
emphasized by various colors in
layout and font.
3.57
Information design
In terms of information design, Orbitz offer users a great deal of useful information including the price
comparison and promotion. Users can refine their search result on the same page and additional search
options allow users to express specific needs. However, the search result page can be improved in the
length and focal points to help users make decision according to the comparison more easily.
19
Promotion is placed in obvious
area.
First glance: Price and number
of stops comparison among
different airlines.
Refine search area: easy and
quick search
Search result: Contained lots of
information but the long list
makes users lose focus.
Below is Orbitz’s detailed information evaluation.
Attributes
organization
Comments
The tag line points out that its service is about
cheap travel, flights, hotels and other activities.
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
The promotion and discount message can be
seen everywhere and this successfully meet its
goal.
However, another tag “A Step Ahead” doesn’t
make any sense to audiences. It should be
changed for a better understanding.
20
Attributes
Comments
The search result page should be improved
because the itinerary doesn’t distinguish the
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
3
leave and return information very well.
Besides, each itinerary looks so similar and it
doesn’t provide enough clues for users to
choose. The long list makes users confused,
too. It should contain a borderline or divide
them into next page.
On the homepage, there are destination
information
interests and featured deals for visitors to surf.
5
Orbitz has blog to display facts about the tourist
spot. This increases audiences’ interaction with
the company and attract more potential
consumers.
On the search result page, the comparison
among different airlines is displayed, including
numbers of stops and the price. The top of each
itinerary also tells you if the tickets are available
which can save users’ time rather than looking
for useless information.
Average
Orbitz provides users rich
information including the
comparison of price, time and
service. Besides, Orbitz blog allow
users to look for extra information
about the destination and they can
share their own experiences.
Advanced users can also utilize TLC
service to receive update news.
4
21
Interaction design
Orbitz.com website provides visitors many interaction functions such as rollover effect, error reminder
and organized input. In addition, the blog and RSS feed encourage users to return to the site. The new
OrbitzTLC service further integrates Web 2.0 technology to keep travelers updated about the flight
status and average security wait time. The customer service is also a strong support and users can submit
the service questionnaire online.
Error message: The error message is displayed on
While waiting for the search result, the message
the same page so users can know what to modify
should indicate the progress and what the system
instantly.
is doing for the users now.
22
Below is Orbitz’s detailed interaction evaluation:
Attributes
Control
Comments
The interface provides two input options to
choose the category: radio buttons or rollover
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
effected buttons.
It provides both keyboard and calendar input.
The circulation image symbolizes that the
request is being processed. However, Orbitz
should display a progress indicator and include
information like” We’re processing your
request,” which let users take the control and
decide if continue waiting. Orbitz should
modify its homepage name from Quick Search
to Home. Thus, users can always return to
Feedback
homepage without being lost.
The calendar locks the back number and
informs that users can only choose after today’s
4
date.
Orbitz provides error message and indicates the
details and instruction.
Both the homepage and search result pages
have rollover effects and they enhance user’s
pleasant experience. However, sometimes the
rollover images are not sensitive enough and
providing instant feedback.
23
Attributes
Comments
The user can send his feedback and fill out the
communication and
online questionnaire.
productivity
A user can add Orbitz RSS feeds to receive
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
updated information and promotion news.
A user can leave comments on Orbitz blog but
few people do so.
Orbitz offers TLC service to make travelers
updated about the local weather, flight status
and the average wait time of security check. It
also integrates PDA and mobile device to
provide travelers instant news.
Orbitz seldom supports adaptability. Users'
2
profile only supports the transactions but not
for the adaptability purpose.
Average
Generally speaking, Orbitz
provides high interactivity for users
and the rollover effect will definitely
raise users’ interest to adopt this
website. However, when the
animated functions increases, the
designer should test them and make
sure if they work smoothly.
3.5
Summary
After the evaluation on interface, information, and interaction design, our team discovered that Orbitz has
very balanced scores in these three aspects of design. The interface is goal-oriented but needs to consider
more multimedia; the information is rich but the search result needs to be re-organized; the interaction is
considered but most communication still maintains one-way channel. We suggest that Orbitz reevaluate
its interaction design and improve upon it.
24
www.travel.com
Travel.com aims at being the one-stop site for users to
find, compare, and buy from the best-of-the-best travel vendors. Travel.com brings together a lot of top
booking engines and worldwide sites make the greatest array of travel products available.
Interface design
In terms of interface design, Travel.com site is a plain and text-based design. The homepage contains
many grids but each of them looks independent and irrelevant to each other. The large portion of
advertisement occupies visitors’ attention and ignores its most important worldwide search feature. Its
attractiveness and information relevance should be considered in the new design.
Lots of ads will distract visitors.
The second grid offering relevant information should be moved to the top.
25
Below is Orbitz’s detailed interface evaluation:
Attributes
Color
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
The Travel.com homepage is very plain. Only
3
the search box and the logo, little icons are
colorful and there is a lot of white space not
being fully used.
The layout is symmetrical and contains many
grids. But too many grids transmit a message
4
of rigidness and not attractive.
The layout is not consistent in every page.
3
Navigation is different in every page.
This website doesn’t contain any vivid images
2
except for the photo album and there is no
layer being used.
No extra media is used to draw audiences’
attention
attention, except for a random display of
2
advertisement supported by Google on the
homepage. But it is irrelevant to the search.
No use of human image and speech is
included in Travel.com site.
1
This website is mainly text based and the
absence of images has made it less attractive.
1
26
Attributes
Average
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Travel.com is poor in its interface
design because few media is used
and the layout is not consistent in
each page. We even discover that
it has two homepage layouts and
this can confuse users and lose
the consumers’ trust.
2.29
Information design
Travel.com provides richness in information design. The search result is well organized and leads users to
make decision step by step. On the search result page, it highlights the most important information for
users. Besides flight information, Travel.com also offers relevant travel links for users’ advanced search.
The forums, photos and tools encourage users to communicate and share information. However, there
are many labels are not clearly defined and in compliance with convention so they confuse first-time
visitors greatly.
27
Large portion of irrelevant
information should be removed.
Travelers can upload photos to
Travel.com website and share their
itinerary.
28
Below is Travel.com’s detailed information evaluation.
Attributes
organization
Comments
The tag “Travel.com- worldwide travel
reservations” and various national flags clearly
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
3
express its feature of international service.
However, this information isn’t repeated in
other pages.
The Travel Links and Hot Samplers tab confuse
users and cannot stimulate users’ motivation to
take a look.
Travel.com encourages visitors to use other
websites to compare price but doesn’t integrate
it very well. For example, if you click on any of
the link, it will direct you to other sites and
there is no mutual connection between
Travel.com and other websites. This will
confuse users and diminish its own value.
The searching result page uses row striping to
clearly distinguish each itinerary information.
5
However, on the checkout page, the itinerary
summary looks clutter.
It requires the user to choose a departing flight
first and display return flight on next page.
Although the user receives limited information
at one time, but this arrangement is simpler for
a novice searcher.
The depart time, arrive time and price are
marked in red and they are very scannable.
The Help menu displayed to the left of the
searching result page looks weird. The most
important information should be placed in the
main area and the other less important message
should be placed in subcategory.
29
Attributes
information
Comments
Travel.com prompt users to consider lower
price by displaying a line of promotion message.
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
5
The little icon represented the aircraft type does
not make sense and is not in compliance with
convention.
The Forum, Photos and Tools category
provides much extra interesting information
and it helps to fulfill the Web site's content,
such as weather, driving direction and
currencies converter.
Average
Basically, Travel.com has very rich
contents but they are not labeled
properly. Everyone can have
different interpretation about the
same title. Besides, Travel.com
should redesign its navigation
system.
4.33
Interaction design
Travel.com is poor in interaction design for several reasons. First, the error message doesn’t indicate the
details and further instructions. Second, there are many windows popping up without expectation. Third,
one of the tabs will lead users to an entirely different homepage which can be very confusing. Last but not
least, Travel.com requires consumers to key in repetitive personal information when checking out.
Two different layouts.
30
Below is Travel.com’s interaction evaluation:
Attributes
Control
Comments
Some navigation buttons will pop up windows.
This makes the interaction annoying and
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
3
confusing.
The navigation has drop-down menu but it is
meaningless. For example, a user can
understand Flight means to search flight. There
is no need to create a submenu to explain the
concept unless it contains more complex
information.
Feedback
Home tab is not shown in every page.
When the search result doesn’t match the user’s
2
request, the message doesn’t display in the
same page. Besides, the message only shows
that the request is not available and fails to tell
why. It wastes users’ time in some ways.
The user has no clue about whether he is in the
communication and
productivity
Car Rental or Search Flight page.
The forum provides space for visitors to post
comments and reviews. It contains varieties of
4
topic and group interest.
Travel.com website also encourages its users to
upload their travel pictures and share with each
other.
Travel.com website doesn’t support this
feature.
1
31
Attributes
Average
Comments
Although Travel.com aims to
provide a space for users to
communicate their travel
experience and provide reviews, it
still fails to design a more
interactive search engine. It lacks
some useful feedback when a user
has wrong input.
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
2.5
Summary
Travel.com is not appealing to visitors at the first glance and large portion of Google ads also distract their
attention. Although it provides richness in information but most of them are not displayed organized. We
suggest that Travel.com will remove these ads, enhance its search feature and build effective connection
with other sites. Thus, users will utilize this site more effectively and efficiently.
32
www.expedia.com
Expedia delivers consumers everything they need for researching,
planning, and purchasing a whole trip. The company provides direct
access to one of the broadest selections of travel products and services through its North American Web
site, localized versions throughout Europe, and extensive partnerships in Asia. Serving many different
consumer segments — from families booking a summer vacation to individuals arranging a quick weekend
getaway, Expedia provides travelers with the ability to research, plan, and book their comprehensive travel
needs. Expedia-branded Web sites feature airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rental, cruises, and many
other in-destination services from a broad selection of partners.
Interface design
In terms of the interface design, Expedia has calm blue tone, simple and comfortable interface. It is
organized into three categories (Build your trip, Plan your trip, Shop for deals) on the main page. These
three categories make the layout cluttered and it should be modified to include “build your trip” part only
to prevent users’ distraction.
On Expedia
homepage, there
are too many grids
and images
distracting users’
attention.
33
Below is a detailed evaluation of Expedia’s interface design.
Attributes
Color
Comments
Expedia uses white and blue as the
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
background. The color of interface looks
calm and comfortable. However, the fonts
contain too many colors and become
distractive. It should use bold fonts to
emphasize important information.
The interface is organized into three different
categories and they look symmetric. We
3
suggest emphasizing ‘build your plan’ part
more (e.g., display this part only or locate it
in the middle).
In addition, commercial advertisements harm
its symmetry and style in some ways.
Expedia uses different sizes of grids to
organize complicated information and
images. Each page has consistent layout and
united.
Expedia seldom uses layers to draw different
5
3
emphasis.
Expedia typically used texts, photos, and
attention
symbols. Media like video or audio is not
2
included.
Expedia to attract users.
2
34
Attributes
Comments
There are symbols (e.g., airplane)
representing different search, but there is no
unique images might attract users.
Average
It has simple and comfortable
interface, but the layout needs to
be simplified. As it is, too much
information is currently displayed.
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
1
2.86
Information design
In terms of information design, Expedia is considerably user-friendly. The users can find abundant
information they are looking for quickly and easily. It has well-organized button and table designs for
users. However, it should make clear difference between ‘Build your travel’ and ‘Plan your travel’. It is
confusing and “Build your travel” part is not necessary to display in the main page. It does not also
provide any support service for people with disabilities.
Attributes
organization
Comments
Expedia includes pages of flights, hotels, cars,
vacation packages, cruises, activities, deals&
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
5
destinations, maps, and business trips and their
goal/massages are well organized and clear.
Users could easily find information they are
looking for if they click the buttons on the top.
The content is organized very simple and clear
including pictures, fonts with different colors
4
and sizes. It is suggested to use bigger fonts.
35
Attributes
Comments
Expedia provides rich and useful information
information
for users. Users can find information they are
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
5
looking for very easily in a short time. They can
book together (e.g., hotel +car) easily. They can
compare information based on what they think
important (e.g., price, hotel).
User also can review supplementary information
including photos, reviews and maps.
Average
Expedia has user-friendly
information design. It provides
useful and abundant information for
users in a convenience manner.
4.67
Interaction design:
In terms of interaction design, Expedia actively interact with users. Users use search engines to find
information they are looking for. Users also can post and read reviews of information they found in the
website (e.g., hotel). Expedia also provides various supports for users including phone call to help get
further information. However, it doesn't support much to the interactions between users, such as
chatting, discussion or sharing. Attributes
Control
Comments
Users can control the search engine with
selecting package(e.g., flight + hotel),
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
4
departure, destination, time, flight type,
number of tours, additional options (e.g., nonstop) and airlines.
Feedback
Expedia provides enough feedback to users
immediately. For example, if users don’t
5
provide enough input about the destination, the
error message will display further instruction.
36
Attributes
communication and
productivity
Comments
Even though users can post and read users’
reviews of information (e.g., hotel), there is no
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
3
active communication among users with
chatting or a discussion board.
Expedia seldom supports adaptability. Users'
profile only supports the transactions but not
2
for the adaptability purpose.
Average
Expedia is designed to provide
good control and feedback to
users. However, it needs to improve
its adaptability and communication
for users.
3.5
Summary
Expedia is well designed based on its purpose; to deliver consumers everything they need for searching,
planning, and purchasing a whole trip. Its interface design is user-friendly, clear and simple, but should
improve symmetry by reducing categories and use bigger font for clear visibility. It provides good
interaction for users, but it should improve communication among users. It has good information design;
it provides abundant and useful information for users looking for in a short time.
37
www.priceline.com
Priceline is a travel service website where users can get
information for their travel including flights, hotels, and cars
and they can book and purchase them with good price. If they
are looking for cheap price travel, this would be good for them. All it takes is a little flexibility with their
travel plan. Users can fly any time of day, agree to fly on any major airline, stay in any name-brand hotel or
rent from any of the top 5 U.S. rental car agencies – they might save a lot of money with this site.
Interface design
We think Priceline has good interface design. It has sky blue background, mostly use white color font,
and orange buttons. It has very user-friendly interface design; it is very neat, visible, simple and clear. The
main page is simple, but very intuitive. In the main page, we could not find any advertising, and also
include few commercial advertising through whole web pages.
Priceline provides two sets
of navigation for varied
users with different needs.
The overall layout is clean
and focus-oriented.
The real man image
enhances its persuasion.
38
Below is a detailed evaluation of Priceline’s interface design.
Attributes
Color
Comments
The Priceline uses sky blue background and
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
5
white color fonts. It also uses orange color
buttons to emphasize their importance. It
uses colors very effectively for helping users
to search information in more convenience
manner.
It is well-organized and systematic so users
can find information they are looking for very
5
easily. It is very simple and visible.
Priceline keeps trying to use sky blue and
white colors on the web pages. Additionally,
it keeps using rectangle grids to organize the
information.
Layers are adopted in Packages page. The
5
4
images are attractive and pleasant.
Priceline typically use texts and photos, but it
attention
includes its current TV advertising. It is
3
interesting to watch.
It uses a human image to persuade users to
take the control back and decide your own
price. He wears a suit with serious facial
expression. He said to users ‘no one deals
4
like we do.’ His image successfully attracts
users’ attention.
There is no unusual image showed in
Priceline website.
2
39
Attributes
Average
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Priceline has great user-friendly
interface design. It is simple,
clear, and emphasizes important
information in the web pages.
4
Information design
Priceline provides information for travelers not only the common search feature such as flights, hotels,
cars rental and cruises, but also include a promotion page called Pricebreaker and Groupdeal. These
unique features have made it exceed other similar services.
The comparison of price, airlines,
and itinerary information.
Promotion of best package
options.
The price is always consumers’
main concern so Priceline makes
the price very scannable
40
Attributes
organization
Comments
Priceline aims at offering the lowest price for
travelers so the discount and promotion
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
5
message is displayed everywhere. They are
displayed by text or symbols(e.g. price tag)
On search result page, the itinerary information
is organized very well. Users can even utilize a
5
filter to refine their result.
Except for the group information about the
information
deal, Priceline also include Tours& Attraction
5
and City Guide for users’ reference. They are all
very well-organized.
Average
Priceline has very good information
design for its organization, richness
and usefulness.
5
Interaction design
In terms of interaction design, Priceline incorporates many interaction features in its site, such as various
input, closable panels, and naming the price. However, because it wants to promote its lowest price and
discount, there are some unwelcome pop-up windows and forcing readers to see. Such unwanted
interaction feature will harm users’ willingness to use the site even though it has gotten rid most of the
ads. Our team suggests Priceline to allow users more flexibility to read the promotion message.
Below is a detailed evaluation of Priceline’s interaction design.
Attributes
Control
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Priceline has two sets of navigation for users to
4
do either a quick search or advanced search.
Some of the web pages offer closable panels and
let users to decide if they want more
information. Some pop-up promotion windows
are annoying. Users should have the control to
decide if open it.
41
Attributes
Feedback
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Once you log in, Priceline will remember your
log in information whenever you visit its
5
website.
The error message is very informative and let
users know how to modify their search.
While processing the request, Priceline displays
the input and promotion message, which allows
communication and
users to confirm the search input.
Priceline has some creativity in letting users bid
for their price. But it offers little
productivity
communication with users.
Priceline seldom supports adaptability. Users'
profile only supports the transactions and
2
2
promotion email but not for the adaptability
purpose.
Average
Priceline has provided good
interaction design because it allows
users to filter their search and
participate in naming the price.
However, after evaluating its
communication and adaptability,
Priceline falls short.
3.25
Summary
Priceline scores very high in our evaluation on interface and information design. However, Priceline failed
to provide any Web 2.0 technology feature and allow users to communicate and share information with
the website or other users. If Priceline can further develop this feature and add adaptability to its service,
our team believes that Priceline would attract more users and become a reliable search tool.
42
www.travelpost.com
TravelPost.com is an independent and impartial
source for hotel ratings, resort reviews and hotel reviews. It also lists travel information for top United
State travel destinations.
Interface Design
Overall, TravelPost’s interface design is lacking. The page is pretty flat and lacks an organization which
shows visual importance. The site’s name is a bit misleading. The colors lack unity and excitement. The
home page is very text heavy and it is visually exhausting.
Hotels just added could be moved down. Travel resources could be bumped up.
43
Below is a detailed evaluation of TravelPost’s interface:
Attributes
Color
Comments
Colors do not complement each other.
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
1
Consist of beige, blue and red with mostly
white space.
Lack of style altogether. Visual “blah”
1
The navigation bar at the top is consistent,
1
however that’s about it. Each page is
structured differently. There is no focus.
Poor. None used.
1
Small person icon next to comments. Besides
1
attention
that, no imagery is used.
Complete lack of personable images or icons.
1
The logo does have the image of a world with
a tack stuck into it which gives the impression
that the site has a global focus, when in reality
the sites strength is on American
destinations.
Little to no thought put into this. The search
button stands out on the home page, but this
isn’t even a complicated task.
Average
Overall, a very unattractive site.
Confusing, visually.
1
1
44
Information Design
The site lacks in information design. It only offers information on hotels and even then, the information it
provides is very limited. Most of the time the site redirects users to other sites and the information it does
have is due to users posting their own reviews.
Attributes
Comments
Confusing. It’s name is Travel Post, yet all it
organization
gives information about is hotels. Even the most
basic function of their site is confusing.
The nav bar breaks the site into different
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
1
1
sections, but it is minimal and the rest of the site
information
is definitely not organized in a clear way.
If one is in search of a hotel this site might be
useful due to the reviews, however even so,
1
many times the site directs the user to other
sites for information instead of providing it on
its own site.
Average
This website provides good hotel
reviews and lists a good number of
possible hotels, however it fails to
give much information beyond that.
Not sufficient information to make
the website valuable enough to
return alone.
1
Interaction Design
The site does allow the user to create a profile that allows one to personalize his/her information,
however the site does not make this feature very obvious nor do they encourage people to use it. Also, the
search engine is limited and general. A more flexible search engine should be substituted for the current
one.
45
Attributes
Control
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Pretty good control over searching for hotels.
2
One can search reviews according to the
person who posted’s age, gender, trip
purpose, budget, price type, property type,
brand and city visited.
Feedback
The reviews are personable and helpful.
4
The site lacks creativity in communicating.
1
Mediocre only because it does a good job at
2
communication and
productivity
adapting to a hotel search but not anything
else related to the trip.
Average
Overall, good at hotel searching
but it ends there.
2.25
46
www.tripadvisor.com
Interface Design
TripAdvisor does a good job with its interface design. A simple, colorful and fun color scheme is used.
The colors are unique to TripAdvisor as no other travel site uses the same scheme. Most other sites use
blue, but Trip Advisor distinguishes itself with green. The site is also easy to digest because of the good
layout choices used.
TripAdvisor.com’s home page.
Attributes
Color
Comments
Unique color choices. Different from the
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
5
competition and appealing. Feels “mappy.”
Visually consistent among the different
pages.
5
47
Attributes
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Pretty consistent with the top and side bars.
3
The information however within the page
sometimes feels a little cluttered and
overwhelming.
Many layers used. Very useful.
5
Lots of videos, pictures and blogs available!
5
attention
Has a real personable feel to it! This part of
the website really makes me want to keep it in
mind for the future. Feels like a hidden
secret.
Extremely personable! Users of the site can
post their own material, suggestion and
helpful hints. - Very cool.
5
Visual cues that let you know how well the
hotel/amenity was rated.
3
Average
This site has a very young, hip
vibe to it. Feels like something I
would want to introduce to my
friends.
4.43
48
Information Design
TripAdvisor uses layers to simplify the design of information. It could possiblly allow for more white space
in order to make the page a bit easier to look at.
Attributes
Comments
Some of the navigation bar choices feel a little
organization
random and the organizational order doesn’t
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
2
seem very intuitive.
information
Not as intuitive as it could be, but good overall.
Very rich information as far as media is
concerned, however it could improve by
3
4
providing direct links to bookings. Users are
unable to purchase flights/hotels directly on
this site. They are then directed to another
place.
Average
Overall, about average.
3
Interaction Design
TripAdvisor allows for the user to create his/her own profile as well as it allows people to post their own
vidoes and other media. The site is very personable. It allows for very flexible searching and is very
adaptable to the users actions.
Attributes
Control
Comments
If one isn’t able to find what he/she is
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
5
looking for specifically, the search bar
provides very good control of the site. Also,
one is able to create his/her own account.
49
Attributes
Feedback
Comments
Rated Score
(5 point scale)
Good range in feedback - if the user misspells
4
something the search comes up with similar
options.
Makes good use of layers, so not that creative
communication and
but productive.
3
productivity
Extremely adaptable, perhaps the best
5
interaction feature on the site.
Average
Overall, the interaction between
the site and the user is above
average due to its personable
features.
4.25
Summary
Overall, TripAdvisor is an excellent source for consumer generated content and various forms of
interactive media that prepare users to visit different destinations. It’s focus however is not to book the
trips specifically. TripAdvisor could make this an expansion to what they do, however that might spread
their focus too thin. This positions TripAdvisor then as a supplement to other travel sites.
50
COMPARATIVE EVALUATION
A comparison chart of the various website designs is below:
Interface
Design
Information
Design
Interaction
Design
Average
2.86
4
2.5
3.12
2
3.67
1.5
2.39
Orbitz.com/
3.57
4
3.5
3.69
Travel.com
2.29
4.33
2.5
3.04
Expedia.com
2.86
4.67
3.5
3.68
Priceline.com
4
5
3.25
4.08
Travelpost.com
1
1
2.25
1.42
Tripadvisor.com
4.43
3
4.25
3.89
Travelocity.com
Lonelyplanet.com
Example of Interface Improvement
Travelpost was used as an example to conduct a website interface improvement. The following changes
were made:
• Shortening the home page length to make it easier to read.
• Adding in several colorful images to arouse users’ interests.
• Putting the “best hotel deals” in the center of the home page to enhance users’ attention and
motivation for using the website.
• Making the search engine more flexible by creating drop-down menus and text boxes.
• Making the home page simple and clean by removing unnecessary information or items.
• Reorganizing and chucking information items.
51
Oversimplified home page.
Long unfocused and unfiltered homepage.
Redesign
Improvements:
Best deals
centered on page.
Adding images
and color to the
home page.
A shortening of
the home page.
A more flexible
search engine.
52
Poor Design Examples
Within Interface
• The advertising section destroys the website balance. e.g. Travelocity, Expedia
• The searching result list is too long to easily read. e.g. Travelocity, Lonelyplanet, Expedia
• The layout is inconsistent. e.g. Travel.com
Within Information
• The content is not chucked clearly. e.g. Lonelyplanet, Travelpost
• There are unclear labels or tags. e.g. Orbitz, Travel.com
Within Interaction
• Insufficient feedback/remind while users have inappropriate search input. e.g. Lonelyplanet,
Travel.com
• Lack of adaptivity. e.g. Travelocity, Lonelyplanet, Orbitz, Travel.com, Expedia, Priceline,
Travelpost
• Unwanted pop-up windows show up. e.g. Priceline, Travel.com
53
RECOMMENDATIONS TO ROSE
After evaluating above eight travel websites, our team found that Priceline scores highest in the overall
evaluation. First, in terms of interface design, Priceline has a simple layout and the human image
stimulates users and creates a user-friendly e-commerce environment. Second, Priceline provides users
great deal information and it even allows users to name their price. Users could feel confident about the
best deal found in Priceline. Last, Priceline provides enough control and feedback for users to interact
with its website. Therefore, we would like to recommend Rose to use Priceline for her trip search.
However, our team also found that TripAdvisor can be used to supplement Rose’s search. Since
TripAdvisor doesn’t provide direct service for booking flights or hotels, its site still offers users many
related topics and interactive features. It successfully applies Web 2.0 technology to engage travelers in
this travel community. Our team suggests that Rose can use Tripadvisor as an entry site and extend her
search topic or interest whenever she likes.
54
CREDITS
User scenario: Bella
Procedure/Criterion: Pei-Yu
Separately Website evaluation
• http://www.travelocity.com/ : Pei-Yu
• http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_services/: Pei-Yu
• http://www.orbitz.com/ : Nikki
• http://www.travel.com/ : Nikki
• http://www.expedia.com/ : Min
• http://www.priceline.com/ : Min
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/ : Bella
• http://www.travelpost.com/ :Bella
Comparative website evaluation:
Table: All group
Bad design list : Nikki
Recommendation to Rose : Nikki
Interface improvement: Pei-Yu
Compiling, Editing & Layout: Bella
55
REFERENCES
Shedroff, N. (1994). Information Interaction Design: A Unified Field Theory of Design. Retrieved March
1, 2008, from http://www.nathan.com/thoughts/unified/ Nielsen, J. (2005). Heuristic Evaluation. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from
http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/
Nielsen, J. & Tahir, M. (2001). Homepage Usability: 50 Web Sites Deconstructed. New Riders
Publishing.
Tidwell, J. (2005). Designing Interfaces. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media.
56

Travel Sites Evaluated - The University of Texas at Austin

Transcription

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